Due to the hard work of the site, and the generosity of others, we have got and found some different and exclusive things for this site. This page includes articles, links and videos, etc.. Sarah Hay article: BLOOD BROTHERS –
As Blood Brothers moves on from its twentieth year in the West End, it’s a good time to re-assess its relevance to modern audiences. My association with the production is somewhat complex but it does place me in a unique position to speak of it from both sides of the curtain.
I first joined the cast back in 1996 playing Mrs Lyons and understudying Mrs Johnstone. As a type, I was obvious casting for the part of the middle class ‘posh’ Mrs Lyons, but, as an actress, I was delighted that I would also get the chance to play Mrs Johnstone, the feisty Liverpudlian mother of nine. I’ve been in and out of the show over the years, most recently as Mrs Johnstone, both in the West End and on tour ; sometimes with half a day’s notice to get to Bradford or into London; sometimes with rehearsal , sometimes not; sometimes only meeting some of the actors backstage just before curtain up! Whatever the circumstances, the show is always received with the same warm approbation and continues to bring audiences back time and time again.
As a teacher, currently Head of Drama at Queens’ School in Herts, I have taken over 200 Year 9 students to see the show for the past three years, and the play still engages and entertains, providing a wonderful platform for exploration of themes and dramatic conventions. Perhaps more importantly, giving young people a positive taste of theatre for perhaps the first and hopefully not the last time. As a consequence of these trips and the follow-up work undertaken in class, our GCSE uptake amongst boys has risen dramatically and other pupils still talk of their visit with enthusiasm. Why should this be in a world full of technical wizardry, bright lights and worship of the celebrity?
The fundamental strength of ‘Blood Brothers’ is its simplicity. One of producer Bill Kenwright’s notes when working with the actors is always ‘Less is more’ and it is this directness that speaks to audience after audience. Willy Russell’s writing is concise and taut, extremely economical but loaded with information to move the play forward. When playing a role, particularly Mrs Lyons, the actor is often given the task of encompassing a range of emotions from low to high octane within the exchange of four or five lines of dialogue. The action moves from scene to scene without drawing a breath and when played with the required energy, sweeps the audience through over thirty years of the brothers’ lives to their tragic death.
Its clear use of Brechtian conventions – the epic nature of the plot, the minimal use of set, narration, time shifts, the political and social messages it contains, makes it ideal for students studying this practitioner or preparing for devised work, and also opens up opportunities for study across the curriculum of the play’s themes and issues.
However, the acting style is naturalistic – none of your Verfremdungseffekt here. The play is designed to drag you through the emotional lives of the characters and bring you to tears at the end. Wonderful role play material for the classroom as teenagers throw themselves into the act of being seven years old again and then in turn confront the issues of surrogacy and unemployment as adults.
One of my abiding memories will be of seeing sullen faced, ‘hardened’ London schoolboys sat along the front row at The Phoenix Theatre, having been coerced to attend, told not to eat, talk or text for the next two hours (purgatory), being pulled into the undertow of the play as Mickey and Eddie arrive on stage and talk in a language they understand. Then seeing their faces at the end, some quieter and less hostile, some lit up with enthusiasm and some ready to leap to their feet (if someone else does it first) and applaud and cheer as the tension breaks and the actors return for their curtain calls.
With Niki Evans finalist from The X Factor coming in as Mrs Johnstone and receiving much acclaim, Stephen Palfreman as one of the best Mickeys you’re ever likely to see and a first rate cast in support, ‘Blood Brothers’ still is one of the best tickets in town. By Sarah Hay, former cast member. | Here is a video, which isn't on Youtube of Carole King and few other cast members singing a Blood Brothers melody on US television. Unfortuantely, we can't get the exact video or the link, but below are instructions on how to get to the site. Click on VIDEOS. Click on ARCHIVO VIDEO CLIPS 90s. Scroll to about half way down to a video called Regis & Kathie Lee, 94. Below the pictures for that video, there are links that say Hits Medley / Blood Brothers Medley. Click on Blood Brothers Medley, and it should open in WMP, or your chosen player.
And it's from: Regis & Kathie Lee, 1994 from the website: http://www.wadhoo.com/caroleking/ .
|
